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A4 Opinion wallowa.com January 13, 2016 Wallowa County Chieftain Occupation hurts cause of rural America T he armed militia groups who failed to provoke a shooting war with federal agents during a standoff at a ranch in Nevada have brought their show to Oregon’s Harney County. Local residents are largely UHEXI¿QJWKHLUPLOLWDQF\ So should the rest of rural America. Militia members supposedly came to town to Voice of the Chieftain support two local ranchers FRQYLFWHGRIVHWWLQJ¿UHWRIHGHUDOODQG:KHQWKH\IDLOHGWR whip the ranchers and the townspeople into a revolutionary frenzy, a splinter group took over facilities at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge as a larger protest against federal control of western lands. The occupation is led by Ammon Bundy, son of Nevada rancher Cliven Bundy, whose dispute with the Bureau of Land Management led to a tense standoff between federal agents and militia in 2014. We struggle to understand what they hope to accomplish. Their action does nothing for the ranchers they allegedly came to town to support. Their stated goal of holding their position until the federal government returns the land to private ownership is at best a delusional hope, and does nothing to resolve the real issues. This desperate action allows critics to describe these complaints to urban America as the farcical rants of armed militia, dubbed “yeehadists” by CNN. The federal government holds title to massive parcels of public lands throughout the West. That’s been settled law for a hundred years. Many would like that land turned over to the states, as was the case with much of the federal land east of the Rockies. The real question is how that land should be managed and how grazing and natural resource extraction will remain viable and part of the multiple use doctrine that historically governed public lands. Government policy once fostered the timber, livestock and mining industries that became the economic lifeblood of rural Western communities. Current policy — the result of environmental lawsuits and regulatory and legislative changes — is largely responsible for draining that lifeblood. At the same time, private property rights have been eroded by the same forces. Individuals and businesses have suffered under heavy-handed regulatory enforcement that at times borders on despotism. 7KHVHFRQÀLFWVGRYHWDLOQLFHO\ZLWKWKHIUXVWUDWLRQVRI many Americans who feel economically and politically displaced. Enter the militia groups. We understand their frustration with the federal government. We recognize their right to peacefully protest and lawfully exercise their 2nd Amendment rights. But we disagree with their interpretations of the Constitution and these tactics. The remedy to these grievances will not come from DUPHGFRQIURQWDWLRQRURWKHUH[WUDOHJDOPHDQVMXVWL¿HGE\ specious Constitutional theories. Instead we trust the tools provided by the Founders — the ballot box, the legislative process, the courts. The constraints on ranchers, timber workers and miners are real. Any hope of getting a legislative solution that accommodates both conservation goals and traditional livelihoods will require reasoned debate and the empathy of urban voters and legislators. The armed occupation of a lonely federal wildlife refuge in the wilds of Oregon will only hurt that effort. EDITORIAL USPS No. 665-100 P.O. Box 338 • Enterprise, OR 97828 2I¿FH1:)LUVW6W(QWHUSULVH2UH 3KRQH)D[ :DOORZD&RXQW\¶V1HZVSDSHU6LQFH Enterprise, Oregon M EMBER O REGON N EWSPAPER P UBLISHERS A SSOCIATION P UBLISHER E DITOR R EPORTER R EPORTER N EWSROOM ASSISTANT A D S ALES CONSULTANT G RAPHIC D ESIGNER O FFICE MANAGER Marissa Williams, marissa@bmeagle.com Scot Heisel, editor@wallowa.com Stephen Tool, stool@wallowa.com Kathleen Ellyn, kellyn@wallowa.com editor@wallowa.com Jennifer Powell, jpowell@wallowa.com Robby Day, rday@wallowa.com Cheryl Jenkins, cjenkins@wallowa.com P UBLISHED EVERY W EDNESDAY BY : EO Media Group Speaking out for rural Oregon In recent weeks, the people of Har- ney County have become no stranger to national headlines. On Jan. 3 a group of armed protesters overtook a federal facility in the Malheur National Wild- life Refuge. Two days later Dwight and Steve Hammond — father and son ranchers from Harney County who were FRQYLFWHGRIDUVRQIRUVHWWLQJDEDFN¿UH that burned 139 acres of federal land — reported to prison to serve the remainder RIDPDQGDWRU\¿YH\HDUVHQWHQFH While these stories played out across every major media outlet, it’s important to understand what is driving this anger and what steps we can take to improve the situation. The thread that ties the Hammond family’s case together with the calls of those who took over the refuge is de- cades of frustration, arrogance and be- trayal that has contributed to the mis- trust of the federal government. While I understand their passion, I cannot condone the actions of the armed protesters, led largely by people who are not from our state. They’ve made their point loud and clear, and local commu- nity leaders, including many ranchers, have asked them to leave. They should do so. The day after the Hammonds went to SULVRQ , ZHQW WR WKH 86 +RXVH ÀRRU LQWHQGLQJ WR JLYH D ¿YHPLQXWH VSHHFK on what was unfolding in Harney Coun- ty. But when decades of my own pent- up frustration with the federal govern- ment’s treatment of rural Oregonians came to the surface, I spoke before my colleagues for nearly half an hour. (You can watch my full speech at www. walden.house.gov/speech). In my years representing the people of Oregon’s 2nd District, I have worked with local ranchers and the citizens of eastern Oregon to resolve disputes, to ¿QG VROXWLRQV DQG WR FUHDWH D PRUH FR- 1 Year $40.00 $57.00 6XEVFULSWLRQVPXVWEHSDLGSULRUWRGHOLYHU\ See the Wallowa County Chieftain on the Internet www.wallowa.com facebook.com/Wallowa | twitter.com/wcchieftain POSTMASTER — Send address changes to Wallowa County Chieftain P.O. Box 338 Enterprise, OR 97828 Contents copyright © 2016. All rights reserved. Reproduction without permission is prohibited. Volume 134 Rep. Greg Walden operative spirit and partnership with the federal agencies. After all, more than half the 2nd District is under Federal management, or lack thereof. The Steens Mountain Cooperative Management and Protection Act is a prime example of those cumulative ef- forts. But after it was signed into law in 2000, little by little, the agencies decid- ed to reinterpret it and follow it at their own convenience, or ignore the law al- together. At the suggestion of local ranchers, WKHODZFUHDWHGWKH¿UVWFRZIUHHZLOGHU- ness in the United States, but the tradeoff was a legal requirement for the federal government to provide the fencing. And yet bureaucrats within the Bu- reau of Land Management wouldn’t lis- ten and wouldn’t follow the law. They told ranchers they had to build the fence. When I pointed out their error, they ba- sically told me to stuff it. When I provided them with the doc- umentation from more than a decade be- fore that proved the intent of Congress, they doubled down. Finally, when I got Congress to pass a restatement of the original intent, they said they’d review it. A similar experience is taking place across the West through so-called travel management plans. Originally intended to minimize damage from off-road vehi- cles, it quickly became a powerful tool to close roads and shut people out of their forests. What happened in the Wallowa-Whit- man National Forest is a classic case in Parties should stick to the wolf plan What is the worth of a word? It used to mean a lot. It used to be enough. A handshake closed deals, whether selling a neighbor hay or a piece of land. A verbal promise was binding, even in the courts, but unfortunately times change and writ- ten contracts with a signature now bind those legally, to keep that promise, that handshake. Example: the Oregon Wolf Plan, touted by some as one of the best in the LETTERS POLICY Letters to the Editor are subject to editing and should be limited to 275 words. Writers should also include a phone number with their signature so we can call to verify identity. The Chieftain does not run anonymous letters. You can submit a letter to the Wal- lowa County Chieftain in person; by mail to P.O. Box 338, Enterprise, OR 97828; by email to editor@wallowa. com; or via the submission form at the newspaper’s website, located at wal- lowa.com. (Drop down the “Opinion” menu on the navigation bar to see the relevant link). 3HULRGLFDO3RVWDJH3DLGDW(QWHUSULVHDQGDGGLWLRQDOPDLOLQJRI¿FHV Subscription rates (includes online access) Wallowa County Out-of-County GUEST COLUMN point. After years of community meet- ings, public workshops and incredible efforts to update the government’s faulty maps, a forest supervisor decided she knew better. Her choice of a manage- ment plan was such an affront that more than 900 people packed a meeting in La Grande in protest. I, too, was incensed and called upon the Forest Service to withdraw the plan, and they did. But the damage was done. How can people be expected to have faith in a public pro- cess when they see outcomes like these? Meanwhile, other threats loom on these same people. From the onerous “waters of the United States” rules, to threats of more national monuments, the federal government is aggressively try- ing to get cattle off the range and people off their public lands. The Hammonds were tried and con- victed under a law written after the Oklahoma City bombing. The presiding judge in the case made clear that its penalties when applied to a ¿UHRQWKHKLJKGHVHUWRIHDVWHUQ2UHJRQ didn’t make sense. But a court found he lacked the authority to invoke a lesser sentence. We need to revisit the 1996 law that landed the Hammonds with a punish- ment disproportionate to the severity of the crime. I’m working with my col- leagues to do just that. We need to have the president under- stand that more monuments may bring cheers from certain companies and com- munities, but in reality they leave behind more mistrust and mismanagement. And those not familiar with the high desert of the West need to understand what we face before they quickly con- demn the frustration and anger that is so evident. 865HS3DXO:DOGHQD5HSXEOLFDQ KDV UHSUHVHQWHG 2UHJRQ¶V QG FRQJUHV VLRQDOGLVWULFWVLQFH LETTERS to the EDITOR nation. Ranchers didn’t like it, so they wrote a minority addendum, but have adhered to the plan as written. However, despite the written words in the plan, sev- eral groups have sued once, and are now stating their intent to sue again, to reverse the recent delisting of the wolf in Oregon. What say you Rob Klavins? What is the worth of a word? Ramona Phillips Joseph Thanks for the memories After 32 years working with the State of Oregon Aging and People with Dis- abilities, I have retired. Hired in 1983, I lived through the ad- PLQLVWUDWLRQVRIVL[JRYHUQRUV¿YHPDQ- agers, four agency name changes, three agency “reorganizations” and two public employee strikes. Over the years, I conducted Adult Pro- tective Service investigations, licensed over 15 adult foster homes, served with our State Field Review team, trained case managers, led the committee that spon- sored legislation forming the Wallowa County Health Care District, served on advisory councils to Community Con- nection, Safe Harbors and the Alcohol and Drug and Transportation programs, and worked with scores of families to help them obtain needed medical and so- cial services. In 2004, I assumed specialized work with nursing home residents. Two years ago I was reassigned to work in the La *UDQGHRI¿FH2YHUWKH\HDUV,HVWLPDWH that I have driven more than 350,000 miles in the line of duty. But these will not be the best mem- ories that I take with me. The memories I cherish are those of the many individ- uals and their families who allowed me into their lives for a short while to assist WKHPWKURXJKDGLI¿FXOWWLPH,OHDUQHGVR much from each of you, observing your courage, strength, kindness, dignity and faith. I will recall that I met and worked with wonderful and compassionate care providers throughout the nine counties of Eastern Oregon. You have enriched my life immeasurably. A heartfelt thank you. Pam Latta Joseph WHERE TO WRITE Washington, D.C. The White House, 1600 Pennsyl- vania Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20500; Phone-comments: 202-456- 1111; Switchboard: 202-456-1414. U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D — 516 +DUW 6HQDWH 2I¿FH %XLOGLQJ :DVK- ington D.C. 20510. Phone: 202-224- 5244. E-mail: wayne_kinney@wyden. senate.gov Web site: http://wyden. senate.gov Fax: 202-228-2717. U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley, D — 313 +DUW 6HQDWH 2I¿FH %XLOGLQJ :DVK- ington D.C. 20510. Phone: 202-224- 3753. E-mail: senator@merkley.sen- ate.gov. Fax: 202-228-3997. 2UHJRQRI¿FHVLQFOXGH2QH:RUOG Trade Center, 121 S.W. Salmon St., Suite 1250, Portland, OR 97204; and 310 S.E. Second St., Suite 105, Pend- leton, OR 97801. Phone: 503-326- 3386; 541-278-1129. Fax: 503-326- 2990. U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, R — (Sec- ond District) 1404 Longworth Build- ing, Washington D.C. 20515. Phone: 202-225-6730. No direct e-mail be- cause of spam. Web site: www.walden. house.gov Fax: 202-225-5774. Med- IRUG RI¿FH 1RUWK &HQWUDO 6XLWH 112, Medford, OR 97501. Phone: 541- 776-4646. Fax: 541-779-0204. Pending Bills: For information on bills in Congress, Phone: 202-225- 1772.
